Stormy climate can use some sun

So the question of the day, at least for me, is this: what happened to us?

More and more, there are protests, whining, complaining, attacking and insulting over the most insignificant things imaginable.

T-shirt messages, mostly done for fun, are now deemed racist and hateful. Innocuous phrases that have been part of the national lexicon for ages have been outed as secretly racist.

The very thought of taking away “free” government handouts causes rage-filled reaction (a problem that apparently is becoming a global one).

Have we become so dependent on our “generous” Uncle Sam that we no longer have the ability to care for ourselves?

Granted, that question doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone, and I always try to ask rhetorical questions in a general sense. But the point remains: have we become so brainwashed about government largesse that the mere thought of having to take care of our own problems scares us into insanity?

It’s not just those things, you know. Civil discourse has become a battleground, where there’s no longer any such thing as level heads. Anything you say at any time can trigger a massive response of vitriol, even if it’s something that’s supposed to be humorous.

We’re no longer thin-skinned, we’re completely skinless.

Part of the problem is the internet, which has invaded our lives to the point that very few of us can remember what it was like before it existed. We had to have conversations face-to-face or over the phone, and our opinions were discussed openly.

Now, with technology that “connects” us so much more, we’ve learned to communicate so much less. And it’s come to the point that we cannot relate to anything that doesn’t come from a smart device.

Using the presidency of Donald Trump as an example, liberals have become so unwilling to communicate that the only alternative left to them is to try to destroy the man, his family, his legacy, to eradicate his existence from politics.

Or how about this: teens playing the rap song “F*** Tha Police” at the funeral of a slain police officer, and comedian George Lopez saying that police officer should be deported to make the country safer.

This is not America. This is not what America should be.

If we’re to embrace different cultures, let’s embrace all cultures. If we’re to allow room for numerous ideologies, that includes ones we don’t agree with.

We’ve always prided ourselves on being the melting pot of peoples; let’s continue that tradition by accepting every and all comers.